Good Times

There are a lot of things I look back on fondly and miss about my childhood, especially as I raise my kids in this new and ever changing world.  One thing that I miss most is letter writing.  I used to write a lot of letters and they were good.  They were my artistic medium, honed and crafted. I wish that carried over to these blog posts, but writing to a person and the masses are vastly different enterprises.  Regardless, the thing I miss about letters was not only the formation of the letters on my end, but the anticipation of a response.  Nothing was instant, and ideas and hopes and emotions would fill me in the meantime.  Waiting was formative.  Now we don't wait.  Its all instant, and while I like getting stuff now, I miss the waiting.  I miss the patient waiting, and hoping.  I think it taught me something valuable that maybe I stopped learning a long time ago. 


My cousin Ryan posted this on his FB account today.  I'm sure I read it only moments later. Ha.  anyway it said "In the end everything will be OK.  If its not OK, its not the end."


In other words wait for it.  


This is also my song post.  The Song "We used to wait"  (Also to experience it in an amazing way from a happier(?) time of your own life, you must check this out http://www.thewildernessdowntown.com/)


basically what I just said. But it also speaks of the value of having words on paper, tangible and lasting rather than digital and easily deleted. Forever.  In a letter you put yourself into it. You think about it. You craft and form it. It comes from your heart.  A tweet, email, Wall post typically doesn't have that much investment....

I used to write,
I used to write letters I used to sign my name
I used to sleep at night
Before the flashing lights settled deep in my brain

But by the time we met
By the time we met the times had already changed

So I never wrote a letter
I never took my true heart I never wrote it down
So when the lights cut out
I was left standing in the wilderness downtown

Now our lives are changing fast
Now our lives are changing fast
Hope that something pure can last
Hope that something pure can last

It seems strange anekatips
How we used to wait for letters to arrive
But what's stranger still
Is how something so small can keep you alive

We used to wait
We used to waste hours just walking around
We used to wait
All those wasted lives in the wilderness downtown

oooo we used to wait
oooo we used to wait
oooo we used to wait
Sometimes it never came
(oooo we used to wait)
Sometimes it never came
(oooo we used to wait)
Still moving through the pain
(oooooo)

I'm gonna write a letter to my true love
I'm gonna sign my name
Like a patient on a table
I wanna walk again gonna move through the pain

Now our lives are changing fast
Now our lives are changing fast
Hope that something pure can last
Hope that something pure can last

oooo we used to wait
oooo we used to wait
oooo we used to wait
Sometimes it never came
(oooo we used to wait)
Sometimes it never came
(oooo we used to wait)
Still moving through the pain
(oooooo) anekatips

we used to wait (x3)
www.lyrics-celebrities.anekatips.com

We used to wait for it
We used to wait for it
Now we're screaming sing the chorus again
We used to wait for it
We used to wait for it
Now we're screaming sing the chorus again

I used to wait for it
I used to wait for it
Hear my voice screaming sing the chorus again

Wait for it (x3)

veterans day

Typically Veterans day is one of those holidays I don't really think about.  It's a day off for the kids and maybe something I should mention at church.  I was thinking about it yesterday as I explained to Simone why she didn't have school.  (She was not happy about a day off) Anyway, I told her how it is a time when we think about he people who have served in the army. And a day we commit to remembering them and thanking them for our service.  

The reality is I don't know many people in the military, and for me it's just one more area that is removed from my life.  An area I don't think about because it doesn't connect with my day to day living.  Like food.  I don't live on a farm, butcher animals or anything like that so I don't think about the process, the care and the effort it takes to give me chicken for dinner.  Since I don't think about it, I don't care.  

I don't care about veterans.  I don't really care about all the neighbors around me, because I don't know them. They don't impact me.  God wants me to love my neighbors. He wants me to care.  So this year, at the prompting of my 3 year old daughter. I'm being thankful for their sacrifice. I'm thinking about what people give up so that I can live the life I have.  I'm thankful that people would be willing to give everything, for me. And I'm reminded once again of the ONE who intentionally gave it all, for me.

All We Need is Love, and someone to tell us No.

I've been thinking about a "Theology of No" lately.  I think this really started as I was praying about different things and often getting a no from God.  My life changed back in 1999 when there was a ministry job at the (Syracuse Rescue mission) that I was sure I should get and sure I would get.  When I was told No by God my life was redirected.  5 months later, God had me in a different ministry (Bethesda Mission in Harrisburg) a very similar job, but in the same community as my future wife.  
When God said no, I was heartbroken and confused.  I wanted answers and I didn't get them for a long time. But now I see when God says no, he knows what he's doing.


Now that I'm a father, a loving father. I say no a lot.  My kids ask for a lot of stuff, but they are getting used to hearing no.  Sometimes it is very easy for me to say no, often its very hard.  Usually my kids requests are well within my power to accomplish.  Can I have ice cream, candy, McDonalds etc.  Often I think, I could give it too them, its in my power it will make them happy and what harm is there in saying yes.  The problem is if I always said yes there could be problems.  My kids could eventually get obese.  Happens a lot in America, am I right?  My kids could get spoiled. Again pretty common. 


Sometimes my kids ask me to intervene when kids at the playground have hit them.  They know they can't hit back. They come to me tell me the problem and ask me to step in and alter their situation.  Spare them the trouble, the fear the pain the hard stuff.  I always tell them to tell the other person that it's not OK.  Tell them to stop and that it's not nice.  It's hard, usually they just try to avoid the problem.  Once in a while they will address the person head on.  Once in a while they will stand up and confront the hardship and things will get better.  If they do that, and things still aren't changing, then I'll step in.


When people today think about God and his love they think like a child.  God has the power to step in and change things, he has the power to fix my situation, to make it easier.  If He loved me he'd do it.  We often parent like that, to the detriment of our kids.  I think we learn from our heavenly father, see that saying No is a part of his plan.  Its often how he teaches us.  He teaches us that getting everything we want is not healthy for us.  That always serving our impulses and desires and selfishness is destructive to ourselves and those around us.  As a parent the hard part is knowing when, why, and how to say no.  As a child of God, we need to accept the no, and consider what God is trying to teach us by saying no, (or even wait).  Do I need to face the trial, do I need to confront the person I'm having trouble with (most likely)  do I need to stop running and avoiding the things in my life that stress me out?  Do I need to grow up?  


Lord God, Father in heaven help us all to accept your no, to learn from the situation and to pursue the good things you have before us even if it gets a little muddy and murky and difficult on the way.  Amen

Beginnings

My kids Gabe and Simone just started school.  I just started coaching Gabe's soccer team and our church is going to be starting to minister in a new setting.  It's got me thinking about new beginnings and how just starting something new opens up tons of new opportunities.  I know new things can be tough to take on.  It's a lot easier and safer to do the same old same old, but sometimes the same old gets boring stagnant and in need of change.  

So we take on these new challenges with prayer, because new beginnings have a lot of risk to them. Fortunately we have a God who can help since was around in the (very) beginning.

The Rains Came Down and the Floods Came Up

This week is surprisingly a good one, that is when one considers the fact that the town I live in just went through massive flooding, when I was on vacation.  Check out these photos to get an idea of the damage. It' pretty insane. I read in one article that there was 60 billion gallons of water dropped on Chicagoland. As I said. Insane.  We had 4 feet of water in the basement.  I spent 13 hours today dragging stuff out.  We lost some memories and some stuff and a lot of carpet and drywall and we might need a new washer dryer air conditioner and furnace. But I also learned some things and have had my heart put right, and for that I thank God.


I have been reading here about a gratitude list.  And figured now is a good time to thank God for lot's of things.  

1) I thank God for getting us out of Chicago on Friday night, before we were planning and mere hours before the flood.  Now my wife and kids are with the rest of my family vacationing as they should be. 
2) I thank God for my Dad who happened to have a layover in Chicago and could hop off the flight to help me take apart the basement.
3) I thank God for this time with my Dad.
4) I thank God that there was a flight and a seat available for me the moment we drove into Denver so I could come home asap.
5) I thank God that on that flight I was able to sit next to, talk to, and pray for a woman who had just lost her sister. A 48 year old mother of 2 and grandmother of 2.
6)  I thank God for the modern conveniences I take for granted. 
7)  I thank God for all the stuff we have.
8) I thank God for the chance to clear some of that stuff out.
9) I thank God for making our time dealing with all of this headache pretty easy. We weren't here to experience the stress, when I arrived the flooding in my neighborhood had receded so that I could drive up to my door.


I also learned that no matter what you do you can't protect things or people perfectly.  Your stuff, and your kids can't be held onto too tightly.  I mean they need to be held onto tightly, your kids need to be loved, but no matter what, things will happen. When they do we all we can do is trust God. We need to trust that he is in control, that all those things I can be thankful for in this hard situation are a product of his divine intervention. I don't know what will happen to Star. This woman that I spoke to on the plane and prayed with, but I do hope she comes to know Jesus as he works in her now to draw her to himself. 




On the drive we listened to a CD my mom made for the kids, they were about family mostly, but one I really like (my adaptation) goes


All I really need is God's song in my heart, food in my belly, and love in my family.  


Amen.

New Eyes

I got new glasses last week. I like them a lot, but I'm not sure if they are the reason I'm seeing the world more clearly.  On Monday I walked and prayed for an hour and the sky was a deep blue, the clouds a brilliant white.  The leaves seemed greener too. All the beauty had me thinking about our Creator and what we lose by being insulated from this world, inside all the time.  Stuck looking at concrete and brick.  We are becoming an increasingly atheistic people, especially in large cities.  Scripture often speaks of how creation demonstrates who God is.
Ps 19: The heavens declare the glory of God;
       the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
 ² Day after day they pour forth speech;
       night after night they display knowledge.

Romans 1:20
. ²⁰For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.

When I was younger I would go hiking, escape to the woods and let God's creative power work in me. I was reconnected with his immensity as I saw myself as a speck once again.  One of my favorite illustrations of his hugeness is:


Imagine a grapefruit.  Ok That grapefruit is the Sun, now imagine a grain of sand 35 feet away. that is the earth, the moon a speck of sand would be a half inch from the first grain of sand.  Now Imagine another grapefruit 2000 miles away. that's alpha centauri the nest closest star.  Now recognize that there are at least 100 billion stars (maybe 400 billion?) in the Milky way all about 1600 miles from each other using this same scale.  And at least 100 Billion galaxies in the Universe maybe 500 billion.  Think about how huge the universe is and that somehow it is always expanding.  Now you are one of 6 billion particles on that tiny grain of sand, and for some reason you think everything revolves around you.


 Psalm 8: ⁴ what is man that you are mindful of him,
       the son of man that you care for him?


yet he does...

Phoenix

So last week I was on vacation in Phoenix (to visit family) and since it is a Tuesday and a long time since I wrote, I figured I'd write about the band Phoenix and this song Lisztomania.  The song is infectious, and a lot of fun, but what is the meaning since lyrics are a bit cryptic? And what is the connection to Franz Liszt?

Well to make a long story short Franz Liszt was the Beatles of his day, the "viral" phenomena.  He exploded in popularity to the point that masses of screaming women would fight over his handkerchiefs and gloves. (Which he would toss into the audience as any fabulous showman would.) The scene is even more amusing when you consider him a hoity-toity classical pianist.
 
Anyway, the Song is about fame, and the way it compounds itself and it isn't necessarily connected to talent, more luck and timing.  For sure Liszt was a supreme talent, but he also spent time playing the music of Hector Berlioz a pianist whose music and talent were obvious to Liszt, but was unknown to the masses. He published and performed Berlioz' work to help his talented friend who suffered in abject poverty.  This began a lifelong commitment to using his abilities and position to bring relief to suffering and poverty. The Brangelina of his time?  For the last 30 years of his life, nearly all of his performances were for charitable causes.


Which brings us to Haiti. On Feb. 6 our church ICEFC held MANNA. A coffeehouse featuring the artists The Secret Name and After the Service. Donattions were collected and we raised about $300 dollars for Haiti and World Vision. Sure it's not the 60 Million that the Celebrity world conjured up, but it is us doing our part.

A line in the song goes:

"These days it (fame) comes it comes it comes it comes it comes and goes"

Notice how fame grows and grows it snowballs and then all the sudden: gone.

Celebrity is fleeting now more than ever, and so God's call in our life is to do what we can where he has put us.  One way I've heard this summarized is "bloom where you are planted."  Why has God put you where he has you? What can you be doing to serve him better, now, where you are?

Liszt in later life  in the Franciscan order as an abbott.  He wanted to join the ministry when he was young, but was dissuaded  by his parents.  From early on Liszt realized that what we have is God's gift and we should be involved in giving back especially if we have been blessed. (granted Liszt had many faults) Maybe you haven't donated anything yet.  Maybe you could have contributed more. Our contributions went to fmsc.org and they are a great organization to work with 94% of the money goes to the people and they have been working in Haiti for the last 10 years and will continue to work with 200 partner organizations that were already in Haiti.

But maybe you'd also like to yell and scream and fight over articles of clothing belonging to amazing musicians.  Well, in that case I have another option for you. My friend Leo Rhee Pastor at Canaan Community Church is hosting a benefit concert for Haiti as well.

Matthew 6: ¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.


The Lyrics for Lisztomania